King of Iron Fist Tournament 5
by Iris Omega
Summary: My version of the next King of Iron Fist Tournament. MORE ACTION!!! CHAPTER 5 UPLOADED!!!
1. Chapter I

Iris: A TEKKEN STORY! WOO-HOO!  
  
Lyma-chan: And the crowd goes wild.  
  
Iris: -__- Lyma-chan, you're depressing me. You know that's not a good thing to do, especially not after the thoroughly distressing Iron Chef I watched earlier.  
  
Lyma-chan: Aw, poor widdle Iris.  
  
Iris: *in a dangerously low voice* Lyma-chan, if you do not shut your mouth this instant, I'll call Heero. And he's playing his Game boy so I don't think that's a good idea, do you?  
  
Lyma-chan: *gulp* No ma'am.  
  
Iris: *smile* I thought so. Now, on with the story!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Tekken or its characters or its storyline or its name or...  
  
King of Iron Fist Tournament 5  
  
Amiko Yutari strode into the local burger joint. She was a small Japanese girl, age 18, height 5' 5'', weight 100 lbs. Dressed in a short white skirt and cerulean blue v-neck blouse, she was the perfect definition of "cute".  
  
"Amiko, you're late."  
  
Amiko stared up at her boss, Merdie. Merdie was the complete opposite of herself.  
  
"I know, I'm very sorry. You see, my brother used the car yesterday and forgot to fill its tank..."  
  
"Enough!" Merdie boomed. "I don't want to hear any more of your half-wit excuses. Just get to work."  
  
Amiko dropped her head in shame. "Yes ma'am," she whispered meekly.  
  
Miharu Hirano, a fellow co-worker, sauntered up as soon as Merdie stomped away. "I don't see why she thinks she can treat us like that. She is only American after all."  
  
Amiko sighed. "I know. But what can we do about it?"  
  
Miharu jumped to her feet. "We'll strike!"  
  
Amiko chuckled nervously. "Miharu, you know I can't. I need this money. Without it I wouldn't have any food."  
  
Miharu sighed and sat back down. "I know. I just hate it when she treats us like crap. And that's all the time. She shouldn't be able to do that. There should be some kind of rule against it."  
  
"Yeah, right." Amiko snorted. "No body has the guts for that." She quickly found a way to change the subject. "So, have you heard from Xiao lately?"  
  
Miharu sighed again. "Not since the tournament. I don't know what happened to her."  
  
"Oh. I wonder if she ever saw Jin."  
  
Miharu shrugged. "Who knows."  
  
"Did you ever hear who won the tournament?"  
  
"Yeah, some guy named Lee Chaolan or something like that."  
  
Amiko chuckled.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about Xiao. If I know her she probably found Jin and ran away with him. That's the only explanation. It's not like her to not keep contact with her best friend."  
  
Miharu frowned and growled. "I know! Some friend she is! She hasn't e- mailed me or anything!"  
  
Amiko laughed at her irate friend. "Oh, Miharu, you know she'll write you some day."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
Merdie pushed her way through the hungry crowd of customers toward us.  
  
"Uh oh." Miharu jumped to her feet. "Time to disappear."  
  
"Yeah," I said quickly and dashed away.  
  
***  
  
The days slowly crept by. Every day was ordinary for Amiko. Training at dawn, school in the morning, work in the afternoon, studying at night. Days seemed to repeat themselves in a monotonous sequence. But one day...  
  
Amiko sighed and strode into the burger joint again. She was glad that she didn't have to work today, but it still seemed like that same old boring routine. This time Merdie was preoccupied and Miharu ran up to Amiko with a pale face.  
  
"Amiko! I really need to talk to you."  
  
Amiko gasped. "Miharu! Slow down and tell me what's wrong!"  
  
Miharu panted and tried to calm down but kept silent.  
  
"What's wrong?" Amiko asked again.  
  
Miharu looked around at the customers who were staring at them with confused faces. "Can we talk in private?" she whispered.  
  
"Uh, sure."  
  
Miharu pulled Amiko into the utility closet.  
  
"Okay, now will you tell me what's wrong?"  
  
"It's Xiao."  
  
She understood her friend's urgency. "What happened to her?"  
  
"I don't know! She e-mailed me. I printed it out to see if you could make any sense of it. You're a great puzzle-solver; please try to figure this out!"  
  
"Miharu! Where are you, you lazy, good-for-nothing piece of trash?!" Merdie's voice boomed outside.  
  
Tears formed in Miharu's eyes. "I know Xiao's in trouble. Please, please do all you can to figure this out. I have to go." She stumbled out of the closet and softly closed the door behind her.  
  
Amiko unfolded the piece of paper Miharu had handed to her before leaving. It said simply: "The sun is at my back. I now wear iron boots." Then, in tiny print at the bottom: "Hornets eating lily petals." Amiko squinted at the paper. The sun? Iron boots? Hornets eating lily petals? What the heck? What sense was this supposed to make? It sure didn't make any. She thought of how Miharu was crying for her friend. She looked back at the paper and a new determination rose in her. "I must figure this out," she thought. "I have to."  
  
***  
  
Amiko slowly and hesitantly crept up to her small trailer house. Everything was unusually quiet. Utterly confused, Amiko quickly threw the door and walked inside. Her father and brother were staring intently at the little 10'' TV on the ground.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
Her dad just grunted and her brother swung his fist at her.  
  
"Shut up, stupid."  
  
Amiko crept around to see what was captivating them. She only caught a glimpse of the commercial, but she instantly saw why her father and brother were captivated. The little blurb had said, "King of Iron Fist Tournament 5." Her father leaned back and grunted again.  
  
"So, what do you make of this, Ruit?" he asked his son.  
  
Ruit laughed haughtily. "I could take 'em all! Just let me at 'em!"  
  
Amiko couldn't resist chuckling, but she immediately caught herself. Ruit glared at her. She quickly thought of a way to wiggle herself out of the beating she knew was coming. "I was just thinking about the pile of opponents you'd K.O and the look on their face when you win the tournament."  
  
Ruit stood up and grabbed Amiko by her collar. "You're lying through your teeth! You think you could do better!"  
  
Her father stood up. "Ah, what's a woman's opinion anyway, right Ruit? No use doing anything, she is just weak and stupid anyway.  
  
Ruit growled and threw Amiko to the ground and kicked her. "Hanashi ni naran'na*," he muttered.  
  
Amiko glared at his retreating back. "I'll dare you to say that again when you are at my mercy," she thought, enraged. "I'll get everything back, you'll see. And you will cry for mercy. Somehow, I'll get everything back."  
  
***  
  
Amiko walked into Mishima High school sleepily. She was awakened in shock of seeing Miharu there. "Miharu! What' are you doing here? You graduated!"  
  
Miharu smiled sadly. "I'm here to get referrals to other colleges." She faltered and looked away. "I flunked all my entrance exams into Japan National." She quickly looked around and lowered her voice. "Have you had any luck with the riddle?"  
  
Amiko shook her head solemnly. "I was up all night working on it, but I just couldn't figure it out. I'm sorry."  
  
Miharu dropped her head in sorrow. Amiko put an arm around her to comfort her.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll figure it out. It's just a matter of time."  
  
Miharu lifted her head and smiled through her tears. "You think?"  
  
Amiko smiled. "Absolutely. Now go get those referrals taken care of. I need to get to class."  
  
Miharu nodded, hope shining through her face. "Thank you."  
  
***  
  
Amiko groaned. Another boring history class was in session. Japanese national pride? Yeah right! When people like her father and brother populated the land, how was she supposed to have pride in it? The Land of the Rising Sun! There was no rising sun on the horizon for her! Not for a while, at least. She had big dreams, but deep down she doubted that they'd ever become a reality. Yeah, the Land of the Rising Sun. She gasped and sat bolt upright. That was it! Japan! "That's it!" she yelled, jumping up. "That's the answer to the riddle!" Her teacher and school mates stared at her, horrified.  
  
"Amiko! Is something wrong?" her teacher asked, not just a little concerned.  
  
"Miss Styari, I'm sorry, but I have to go!" Amiko blurted and dashed out of the classroom.  
  
"Amiko! Amiko, you get back here this instant!"  
  
***  
  
Amiko dashed down the halls of Mishima High school searching for Miharu. She finally spotted her filling out papers. Miharu turned as she ran up.  
  
"Amiko! Are you alright?"  
  
Amiko gasped for air. "Why. does. everyone keep. asking. me that?"  
  
"Maybe because you look pale and sick?"  
  
Amiko rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Do you want to know the answer to the riddle or not?"  
  
Miharu jumped up, suddenly excited. "You figured it out?!"  
  
"Of course. I told you I would."  
  
Miharu clapped her hands and hugged Amiko. "Thank you so much."  
  
"I haven't even told you what it is yet."  
  
"Well, tell me then."  
  
Amiko smirked. "Are you sure you don't want to go into the utility closet first?"  
  
Miharu glared at her playfully. "Of course not! Just tell me!"  
  
"Okay, lets start with the phrase, "The sun is at my back." The sun, what does the sun symbolize?"  
  
Miharu concentrated and finally gave up. "I don't know! I'm the person who flunked her college entrance exams, remember? And anyway, you're the one who solved it! You tell me!"  
  
"I was in history class when I realized it."  
  
"Amiko Yutari! You get back in class right now!"  
  
Amiko jumped. "Uh oh. Come on, Miharu. Let's find the utility closet!"  
  
They quickly found the utility closet and held their breath until Miss Styari passed. Letting out a sigh of relief, Amiko continued. "Okay, like I was saying, I was in history class when it hit me. What is Japan called?"  
  
"The Land of the Rising." Miharu trailed off as it hit her. "Sun! The Land of the Rising Sun! The sun symbolizes Japan! That's what Xiao meant! She's left Japan!"  
  
Amiko nodded. "Very good! See, you're better at this than you thought. Okay, next phrase, "I now wear iron boots." It has to be another country. What country would be associated with an iron boot?"  
  
Miharu stared at the wall in concentration. "And iron boot. I don't know. I give up."  
  
"Come on. You can figure it out. Would it be America?"  
  
Miharu giggled. "America? No, that's the land-of-the-lawless-idiots."  
  
Amiko rolled her eyes. "Okay, Miharu, the country is Germany. Germany would be associated with an iron boot."  
  
Miharu giggled again. "I thought that was the land of mess-with-us-and- we'll-kick-your-butt."  
  
Amiko slapped her friend's leg. "What's gotten into you?"  
  
Miharu sighed. "I'm just so relieved that you have this figured out."  
  
Amiko smiled. "I'm relieved too. But there's still one piece I can't figure out. What in the world does "Hornets eating lily petals" mean?"  
  
"I don't know. That part really confused me too."  
  
"There's not country associated with hornets eating lily petals, and besides, we already know that Xiao's in Germany."  
  
"Maybe it's some German code or something."  
  
Amiko shook her head solemnly. "I don't think so. It doesn't make any sense." She went over the words in her mind. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. "Unless."  
  
"What? Unless what?"  
  
"Unless it's an acronym."  
  
"What's an acronym?"  
  
"It's where you take the first letter of each word in the phrase and it spells a word."  
  
"Okay. Hornets, H. Eating, E. Lily, L. Petals, P. H-E-L-P. She's asking for help!"  
  
"Exactly, which is why we need to go to Germany right away."  
  
"But how? We don't have money. How are we supposed to get a flight?"  
  
Amiko grinned mischievously. "We stow away."  
  
"What?!" Miharu was horrified. "Stow away? That's. that's."  
  
"Brilliant?"  
  
"Not exactly. I was think more along the lines of insane! Suicide! Crazy! Deranged!"  
  
"Okay, okay! I get the point. But how are we going to help Xiao? Will you do it for Xiao?"  
  
Miharu stared at her friend's grinning face, then back at her safe surroundings.  
  
"No."  
  
***  
  
Amiko and Miharu pulled up to Amiko's trailer house. Amiko opened the passenger door and stepped out. "I just have to grab a few things. I'll be right back."  
  
"Whatever," Miharu grumbled.  
  
Amiko smiled contentedly as she opened her front door. The door was quickly slammed behind her as she was swung off the floor and slammed against the wall. "Ruit." she growled.  
  
"Kisama ka**," he growled back. "What are you doing home?"  
  
She wriggled and tried to free herself from his grasp only to be grabbed harder. "School got out early."  
  
"I don't believe you."  
  
"Funny. You seem to not be believing me a lot lately."  
  
Ruit sneered. "Who should believe a woman?"  
  
Amiko was ready to put all her secret training to the test. "Wait," she told herself. "You have to wait. It's not time yet. Keep it secret."  
  
Ruit swung her and slammed her into the opposite wall. "I've been waiting to get you alone. I wanted to repay you for your undue interfering last night." He lifted his fist to strike her.  
  
Rage swirled inside of Amiko. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," she growled.  
  
Ruit was amused. "Oh, and what are you doing to do? Struggle and try to bite me?"  
  
"No." Amiko said as she brought her legs up and kicked Ruit in the chest. He let of her and stood stunned. She found her opportunity and ran into him with all her force, knocking him against the wall. Flipping into a perfect handstand, she brought her legs into a pike position and used the force of lifting them up to do a two-leg slam and uppercut to Ruit's face. All was done in such amazing speed Ruit was completely stunned.  
  
".I'll do that." Amiko smirked at him.  
  
He gaped at her, completely amazed. "How?"  
  
Amiko's rage came full force. "What do you think I've done all these years? Did you honestly think that I'd sit back and take all the abuse? I sat back every day listening to fathers and yours philosophy of women being weak, and I couldn't wait for the chance to prove you wrong." She smiled sweetly at Ruit. "Ruit, what time is it?"  
  
He glared at her. "How should I know?"  
  
She sneered. "Time to get a new philosophy. Now, if you don't mind, I'm leaving. I have things to attend to."  
  
***  
  
Amiko walked out and Miharu glared at her. "I thought you said you'd be right back!"  
  
"I ran into a little trouble."  
  
Miharu's eyes widened. "Ruit?"  
  
Amiko nodded.  
  
"How did you get out of there alive?"  
  
"Not you too."  
  
"Not me too what?"  
  
"Can't a girl learn how to fight?"  
  
Miharu grinned. "Amiko, you surprise me. I didn't know you train!"  
  
"Not officially, but personally. Enough to take Ruit down."  
  
Miharu high-fived her friend. "Well, we're off to the airport!"  
  
***  
  
Amiko sighed and looked at her friend who was ignoring her. "Hey, how did I know we'd get caught trying to board a plane?"  
  
Miharu glared at her. "Because I tried to tell you!"  
  
They sat in the airport's main office. Two security guards had apprehended them while they tried to sneak on a jet to Germany.  
  
"I warned you and I warned you, but did you listen to me? No! Of course not! You think you know everything! Well, little miss know-it-all, I've got a little something to tell you!"  
  
A big black man suddenly attracted Amiko's attention. He was holding a large white sign with red letters spelling, "King of Iron Fist Tournament Fighters."  
  
"Amiko, are you listening to me?"  
  
Amiko grabbed Miharu's hand. "Look!"  
  
Miharu rolled her eyes. "I try to lecture you and you just ignore me."  
  
"Do you even see it?"  
  
"See what?"  
  
"The sign!"  
  
"What sign?!"  
  
"The one that says in big red letters, "King of Iron Fist Tournament Fighters!"  
  
"Yeah, I see it."  
  
"Follow my lead."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Come on!"  
  
Amiko slowly and quietly opened the door of the office, stepped out, and closed it. Strutting over to the black man, she tried to look as confident as she could. Miharu followed close behind. If Amiko got in trouble, she didn't want to be pulled in.  
  
"Hello," Amiko said to the man. "I believe you're collecting the fighters?"  
  
"Yes," he said in a booming voice. "I am. Your name?"  
  
"Amiko Yutari. And this is Miharu Hirano. We're both fighting in the tournament."  
  
Miharu's eyes bugged out of her head. Amiko was entering her into the tournament!  
  
The big black man looked at his list, then at Amiko, then back at the list. "I don't see you or your friend on this."  
  
Amiko rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "I didn't see anything on the commercial that said we had to register or anything. It just said to show up."  
  
"I could've sworn it said you."  
  
"Listen," Amiko looked at the man's name tag. "George, it didn't say that we had to register. Now, are you going to keep arguing with us, or are you going to pay attention to this lovely crowd of people waiting to talk to you?"  
  
George sighed and looked at the list one more time. "Whatever, miss. You and your friend are entered. Just stay around here until the group is gathered and then we'll head for the plane."  
  
"Very good." Amiko smiled to herself. She had done it! She'd really done it! She turned to Miharu and saw immediately that her friend wasn't nearly as happy.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?! You have no right to enter me into a tournament!"  
  
"Miharu, listen! We go and win a few of the easy ones, then use the money to fly to Germany and help Xiao! We can win some! We don't have to stay for the whole thing! Come on," she pleaded. "Please? It's a fool-proof plan. It has to work."  
  
Miharu glanced around nervously. "Well."  
  
"Please?"  
  
She sighed. "Fine. Just a couple, and then we leave."  
  
"Yes!" Amiko jumped up and hugged her friend. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Don't worry, we'll help Xiao. We just need money. We'll get it from the tournament, you just wait and see!" She bounced away to join the group of fighters. Miharu sighed. "This is going to mean trouble," she thought. If she only knew what was coming.  
  
Iris: So.? What do you people think? P-L-E-A-S-E leave a review! Don't worry, the next chapter will contain more action. I think. It will probably be shorter too.  
  
Lyma-chan: Thank goodness.  
  
Iris: I'm going to go get my good old, trusty frying pan.  
  
Lyma-chan: Shutting up!  
  
Iris: Oh, and about those Japanese phrases, here's what they mean!  
  
* You're too pathetic for words. ** You.  
  
Okay then! REVIEW!!! 


	2. Chapter II

Iris: YAY!!! CHAPTER TWO!!! *does a little dance* Anyway. I'd like to thank lilsweetcherryblossom for being the ONLY ONE to review my last chapter.  
  
Lyma-chan: *trying hard not to say anything*  
  
Iris: Ah, yes. My lovely frying pan is close at hand. Well, thank you lilsweetcherryblossom!!! Oh, and I would like to let anybody who is or will be reading this that Heero Nashidake is my brother!!! He wanted to be in the story and he's coming in this chapter!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Tekken. That's all I'm going to say.  
  
Amiko sat looking out the window of the plane. Miharu had still been too mad at her to sit next to her, so the seat next to her was empty.  
  
"Hello, and welcome to Japan Air." The stewardess' voice echoed throughout the plane. "Please make sure that your seatbelts are secure for takeoff. We will be leaving the airport in about 5 minutes. Thank you!"  
  
"Hi. Is this seat taken?" A masculine yet soft voice sounded next to Amiko. She turned to see who it was that was disturbing her thoughts. Upon seeing him, she melted and instantly forgave him.  
  
"Um, n-no, it's not."  
  
A handsome and muscular man with tall, spiky black hair and piercing blue eyes sat down beside her. "My name is Heero Nashidake, by the way."  
  
"I'm Amiko Yutari."  
  
"Amiko. That's a nice name."  
  
"Yours is too." Amiko turned back to stare out the window. She was afraid that she would stutter if she said anything further. But Heero couldn't give her the luxury of silence.  
  
"So, you're fighting in the tournament?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Heero smirked. "Are you always this untalkative, or did I catch you at a bad time?"  
  
Amiko blushed. "Uh. I'm always this untalkative. Maybe you'd rather sit with someone who wants to talk." Amiko prepared herself for him to get up and walk away. To her great dismay, he didn't.  
  
"No, I think I'd rather stay right here."  
  
"He's doing this to me on purpose!!" she thought. "How wrong is that?!" Amiko prepared herself for the worst flight of her life. "He's the cutest, hottest guy I've ever seen, I mean, look at those muscles! And he knows that he makes me uncomfortable. That's exactly why he's staying here. How rude of him!" She glanced at him to see that he was reading a magazine with a contented grin on his face. Amiko sighed and leaned back against her seat in despair.  
  
***  
  
Amiko was extremely relieved when their destination came into sight. Heero had sat there reading the entire time. Miharu had snuck a few faces and snickers at her concerning him. She had found a seat next to an Indian girl with long, braided brown hair. "Lucky. She gets a nice, normal girl to sit next to and talk to, and I get the annoying guy who likes to make me uncomfortable." The planed started dropping and the seatbelt light blinked on with a high-pitched beep. "Great," she thought. "Just a few more minutes and then I can get away from that weirdo and talk to civilized people."  
  
"Hello, passengers," the stewardess' voice boomed once again from the speakers all over the interior of the plane. "We have reached Marseille, France. The sky is bright and blue, and the temperature is a mild 79 degrees. I hope you had a nice flight and thank you for flying Japan Air!"  
  
Amiko quickly stood up and grabbed her bag from the overhead compartment. She turned to Heero. "So nice flying next to you. Have a nice day."  
  
He smirked again. "You sound like the stewardess."  
  
She opened her mouth to make a rebuttal, but she stopped herself and quickly shut it. "Thank you," she said simply and whirled around to find Miharu. She was waiting for her by the plane's exit tube.  
  
"You had quite a cute person sitting next to you."  
  
Amiko groaned. "Please, don't even go there. He was the most annoying, obnoxious person on earth."  
  
"It didn't seem like he did much to me. He just sat there and read."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
Miharu raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Okay, Amiko, whatever. He was obnoxious and everyone should stay away from him if they want to keep their sanity. I'll make a note of that."  
  
"I didn't say that exactly," Amiko protested. "I just said that I thought he was annoying. Since you seem to think that every cute guy has to be nice, you should decide for yourself."  
  
Miharu looked hurt. "I do not think that every cute guy is nice. There are many completely obnoxious guys that are cute. I'm not like that and you know it."  
  
Amiko sighed. "I'm sorry, Miharu. I didn't mean it like that. Are you still mad at me for getting us into the tournament?"  
  
"A little, but not as much as before. I'm actually thinking that this could be fun."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah! I mean, what do we have to lose? It's not like anybody here knows us, so we won't be humiliated if we lose on the first round. And if we win, we'll have money to help Xiao in Germany. So, we don't have anything to lose, but we have much to gain, right?"  
  
"Exactly! I'm glad you see it my way, Miharu. It'll be fun! And just think of all the cool people we'll meet! It'll be a great experience." Amiko and Miharu turned their heads to see Heero grinning at them.  
  
"You're blocking the walkway."  
  
Amiko sneered. "Good. Maybe the plane will take off with you still on it."  
  
Heero laughed and pushed past them. "It was nice talking to you too."  
  
Amiko glared after him. "Come on, Miharu. I don't want the plane taking off with us on it."  
  
Miharu had a knowing grin on her face.  
  
"What?" Amiko asked, annoyed.  
  
"Oh, nothing. It's just that."  
  
"Just that what?"  
  
"Ki-ni shinaide*. We should catch up with the others before they go on without us."  
  
***  
  
"Alright, people," George said tiredly as he handed little cards to everybody. "These are your car-pool mates. You'll always drive with them to every event. It's based on how alike your events are. Once you get to your hotel rooms, you should have schedules already printed out and ready for you. The first event starts in two days. I'm not sure at what time, though. Your schedules should state the time clearly." He glanced at each person. "Your limos are waiting outside. Have a nice day and I'll see you all Wednesday."  
  
Amiko glanced at the people on her card. "Hwoarang, Steve Fox, Julia Chang, and." She slapped her forehead. "Heero Nashidake. Great, just great." Amiko glanced at the card a few more times to see if his name would mysteriously disappear. It didn't. She finally gave up and sullenly sauntered over to her group. She only knew it was her group because Heero was standing there. Also in the group was the Indian girl who had sat next to Miharu on the plane. She came forward and extended her hand.  
  
"Hi! I'm Julia Chang. I sat next to your friend Miharu on the plane."  
  
"Yes, I saw you. I'm Amiko Yutari, but I'm sure you knew that."  
  
Heero tapped Julia's shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Julia smiled and Amiko glared menacingly. "What did he tell you about me?"  
  
"He said you're not talkative and that I would bide my time more efficiently trying to talk to someone else. But I never listen to anything he says, don't worry."  
  
"Do you know that dork?"  
  
Julia nodded her head. "Yeah, in fact, I live right down the hall from him. We go to the same college."  
  
"Oh." Amiko giggled and pointed beyond Julia's head. "Someone's making faces at you."  
  
Julia rolled her eyes. "It's Hwoarang. Don't mind him, he's just strange. C'mon, let's get going. We have to get checked in."  
  
***  
  
Amiko had chatted happily with Julia the entire 45-minute drive to the hotel. She had met her other car mates also; the charming British boxer Steve Fox, and the impossible-to-deal-with Korean Hwoarang. Steve had been polite and asked how her flight was; Hwoarang had poked fun at them; and Heero had been his usual quietly annoying, random obnoxious statement entering self. Amiko had done her best to ignore him. She was very happy when they arrived at the hotel.  
  
"Well," she said, turning to Julia. "I'm glad that you're in my car group. I would die if you weren't."  
  
Julia chuckled. "Yeah, you probably would. Don't worry, you'll get used to everyone in time. I thought they were all psychos until I really got to know them. They all are really nice people, even Heero."  
  
Amiko rolled her eyes. "He doesn't seem like it to me."  
  
Julia chuckled again. "He is. Just give him time and a chance. He doesn't always let it show, but he's really quite shy. That's why he likes sitting next to people who aren't talkative if he doesn't know them."  
  
"I thought he sat next to me to bug the living daylights out of me."  
  
"No, he didn't." Julia reached in the car and grabbed her bag. "Well, I should get going. I'll see you later. Maybe we could go to dinner or something."  
  
"That sounds good. I'll call you later."  
  
"Okay. You have my cell phone number, right?"  
  
Amiko nodded. "Yeah. I have to get going. I see Miharu waiting for me."  
  
"Okay. See ya later!"  
  
Amiko waved and ran over to where Miharu was standing impatiently.  
  
"It's about time you came over. You know, if you're planning on staying here at all, you're going to have to be punctual."  
  
"Yes mother," Amiko said sarcastically. "Come on, Miharu, is it against the rules to make friends?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Alright then!" Amiko pulled Miharu towards the hotel entrance. "Hurry up, slowpoke. We have to get checked in!"  
  
Miharu sighed and let herself be dragged along.  
  
***  
  
Amiko sat playing the hotel Nintendo on the TV. Miharu was taking a shower. Amiko lost and threw the control on the ground.  
  
"You stupid thing!"  
  
The phone rang and Amiko stomped over to answer it. "Yeah, what?"  
  
"That's such a lovely way to answer the phone, Amiko."  
  
Amiko blushed. "Sorry, Julia, I was frustrated. How did you get my phone number?"  
  
"George gave it to me. He wanted me to call and tell you that we need to go to the tournament rink for a schedule briefing. He said to apologize for it being so last minute."  
  
"Oh, okay. When is it?"  
  
"Now. We're all waiting out front."  
  
"Great. Why did Miharu have to take a shower now?"  
  
"You'll just have to tell her to hurry up and get out. We'll wait for ten minutes max."  
  
"Okay, thanks Julia. I'll be down in a minute."  
  
Amiko hung the phone up and rushed over to the bathroom door and pounded on it. "Miharu! You have to get out! We have a schedule briefing and everyone's waiting for us!"  
  
"UGH!" Miharu grunted. "This is insane!" She sighed. "Alright, I'll be ready in a minute."  
  
Amiko quickly grabbed a cerulean v-neck sweater and black stretch pants out of her suitcase and threw them on. She had just finished quickly brushing her chin-length cranberry and black hair when Miharu came out of the bathroom.  
  
"Okay," Miharu said breathlessly, grabbing the brush. "Let's go."  
  
***  
  
The trip had been quick and silent. Everyone else seemed as flustered by the sudden announcement as she had been. Julia's hair, normally in two tight braids, was filled with static and stuck out in all directions. Hwoarang was unusually silent and looked like he had been taking a nap. The only one who was bright and cheery was Steve, as always. As they met up with the other groups, they saw that everyone else was just as disconcerted. She also saw a few more people who hadn't flown on the plane. They met an important looking man halfway down the hall.  
  
"Welcome, tournament fighters," he greeted them. "I'm glad you're here. I'm sorry it was so last minute, but Mr. Chaolan made a few changes on the schedule."  
  
Amiko saw a mysterious looking man's lips turn up in an evil looking smile. "Who is that creep?" she thought. "He looks too familiar for comfort."  
  
"Mr. Chaolan apologizes for not being able to meet you all personally. He had some very important meetings to attend to."  
  
Amiko barely heard the rest of the briefing. She spent the entire time casting glances at the mysterious man and trying to figure out who he was. It nagged at the back of her mind. She knew who it was but she couldn't remember. Before she knew it, the briefing was over.  
  
"Amiko," Miharu nudged her friend. "It's time to go."  
  
Amiko snapped out of her deep contemplation. "Oh, okay."  
  
As they walked out of the building, Miharu kept staring at Amiko worriedly. When they got back to the hotel, Miharu decided to express her concern.  
  
"Amiko, are you alright? Ever since the briefing you've been acting really strange."  
  
Amiko stared blankly at the wall. "That man. I know him. I know I do."  
  
"What man?"  
  
"The one with the hood. He looked so familiar. but I can't place it."  
  
"You're right, Amiko. He did look familiar. But I don't think we know him. He might just look like someone we know."  
  
"No, I know him; I know I do."  
  
Miharu shook her head. "I give up. If you say you know him then you do. Just please start acting normal. Everyone else noticed too. Julia said you were strange in the car. I don't want everyone thinking badly of you or me, okay? Can you just act normal, please?"  
  
Amiko exhaled deeply. "Sure, yeah, okay. I'll be normal. You're probably right, I probably don't know him."  
  
"Good. Are you coming to dinner?"  
  
"Dinner?"  
  
"With Julia, remember? Are you coming?"  
  
"Oh, I remember. Yeah, I'm coming."  
  
"Are you going to change?"  
  
Amiko suddenly noticed that Miharu was wearing a short leather shirt and a tiger-striped tank top. "Sure, I'll change."  
  
"Okay, I'll wait for you then."  
  
Amiko changed into a red spaghetti-strap shirt and a tight black skort. Despite her promise to Miharu, she couldn't help thinking about the man. "I know him; I know I do! If I don't figure out who he is soon, I'll go insane." All through the night she put on a fake smile for Julia and Miharu, but inside she was incessantly troubled. "I'll find out who it is, if it's the last thing I do!" She didn't know how real that phrase would become in her case.  
  
Iris: Dun dun dun! Who is the mysterious man and what's going to happen to Amiko? Tune in tomorrow to see the conclusion to this unbelievable Odyssey! Ha! You wish! Number one, I'm not posting the next chapter tomorrow, and number two this story is definitely not going to conclude in the next chapter! But I do hope that you all read on! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!! Thanx! And the one meaning to the one Japanese phrase I used.  
  
*Never mind 


	3. Chapter III

Iris: Oh my! I got LOTS of reviews on the last chap! Okay.. so I only got four.. but still, for me, that's really good! THANKS TO ALL WHO REVIEWED! Oh, and I'm so sorry this took so long to come out. I got sick, bought a parakeet (his name's Auzora, Japanese for sky blue), and school and swimming take up a lot of time and energy.  
  
Lyma-chan: And that would not include me.  
  
Iris: Duh, I think everyone knows that.  
  
Lyma-chan: Just making sure.  
  
Iris: *rolls eyes* Well, to all my faithful readers, READ ON! Oh, and this message is for Forevermore. I know you said you didn't like Julia, so don't worry, this is DEFINITELY NOT going to be a Jin/Julia pairing. XIAOYIN ALL THE WAY!!! She won't be sluttish either. And this little message is for Kukkaistytot, I know you said you didn't like Hwoarang, so I'm going to say, "Sorry!" but you're going to see him a lot in my story. I won't make him obnoxious or anything, just funny, annoying, girl-hunting Hwoarang! I would also like to say that he is my FAVORITE character, by the way. ^__^ Please don't let that discourage you from reading my fic. PLEASE read the rest and review!  
  
Disclaimer: AMIKO IS MINE!!! MINE, MINE, MINE!!! And Miharu's personality is mine too! I CONTROL HER BRAIN!!! BWAHAHAHA!!! *grin* But the Tekken characters belong to Namco. DON'T SUE ME!!! o_O  
  
The day for the first rounds of the tournament came. Amiko did the best she could to push thoughts of the hooded man to the back of her mind where they didn't bother her unceasingly. The entire hotel was buzzing with excitement. Amiko soon got into the spirit and forgot all her former worries.  
  
"So, are you excited?" Julia plopped down next to Amiko in the limo.  
  
"Yeah, I'm very excited. And nervous." Amiko felt as if her stomach were a cage for a million butterflies.  
  
Julia laughed. "Nervous, yes, I remember the first time I fought in the tournament. No matter how much I didn't want to admit it, I was nervous. Scared, even. I soon lost all my nervousness. Once you start, you're having so much fun you forget to be nervous."  
  
Amiko grinned hesitantly. "Forget to be nervous?" she thought. "Yeah right."  
  
Hwoarang squeezed in between both of them and threw his arms around their shoulders. "So, ladies, how are you this lovely morning whose beauty pales when compared with yours?"  
  
Julia gasped and Amiko giggled. "Hwoarang, you're such a dork," Amiko stated between giggles.  
  
"Yes," Julia continued. "But, unfortunately, a lovable dork."  
  
Hwoarang beamed. "I'm lovable!"  
  
"For a dork," Julia elbowed him in the side. "Now can you go sit somewhere else, please?!"  
  
"Sure!" Hwoarang made a show of displaying a miniature bow to them both. "I'll most surely talk to you two later."  
  
"Unless he finds better looking women," Julia muttered to Amiko making her giggle even harder.  
  
"That wouldn't be hard for him."  
  
Julia rolled her eyes. "No, I'm sure it wouldn't."  
  
***  
  
"Good luck, Amiko!" Julia waved at her friend. "I have to go to my stage now. Sorry I won't be able to watch and cheer you on."  
  
"That's okay. Good luck to you too."  
  
Amiko took a deep breath as she watched Julia run off in her short denim shorts and green button-up shirt. She herself was wearing short denim shorts as well, but with a blue leopard low v-neck blouse. Her hair was in two short pigtails and her anime-style bangs framed her tiny face. Her cool composure on the outside was completely opposite from the turmoil raging within her. New thoughts raced through her mind. "What if I don't win? What if I'm humiliated and I have to go back to where I started; no money and no where to go? I don't know how I'd face Miharu." The booming of an announcer snapped her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Hello all and welcome to the King of Iron Fist Tournament Four!"  
  
The crowd burst out cheering.  
  
"For our first match, let's welcome the big, mean, fighting machine; the Vale Tudo Fighter Craig Marduk!"  
  
A little less cheering.  
  
"And the World Middleweight champion with gloves of steel; boxer Steve Fox!"  
  
The crowd started cheering so loud Amiko had to cover her ears for fear of her ear drums being blown out.  
  
"Let's begin!"  
  
The sound of a bell ringing echoed through the arena. Marduk flew at Steve with all his bulk. Steve speedily countered with a few hard blows to his stomach. Marduk reeled from the hits and Steve flew into the opportunity. Before anyone knew it, the round was over.  
  
"The winner of the round, Steve Fox! Now for round two!"  
  
Marduk staggered up and regained his ground just in time for the bell to ring again. This time his fist crashed onto Steve's head before he could react. Steve quickly regained his composure and quickly brought Marduk to the ground again. The crowd went wild.  
  
"And the winner of the match; Steve Fox!"  
  
The crowd exploded. Even though she plugged her ears, Amiko still thought she was going to be deaf.  
  
"Now for the next match!"  
  
A million more butterflies found their way into Amiko's stomach. "They don't waste any time, do they?"  
  
"For match number two, let's welcome the Latin beauty; the Capoeira fighter Christie Monteiro!"  
  
Many of the guys in the crowd hooted and whistled.  
  
"And the new comer; the girl who taught herself her own type of fighting that we don't know anything about, Amiko Yutari!"  
  
The crowd cheered but Amiko knew they were just being polite.  
  
"Let's begin!"  
  
The bell rang. Christie didn't seem to be in any hurry to start. Amiko threw a powerful punch at her which she easily dodged.  
  
"So," Christie said, not bothering to make any moves. "You taught yourself to fight, huh?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Christie grinned and lowered herself into a fighting stance. "Then let's see what you've got." She bent herself into a handstand and then lowered and started doing flares on the ground. Amiko lowered herself and used her arms to propel herself across the slippery floor and right into Christie. Christie stumbled backwards but brought her leg around and knocked Amiko's legs out from under her. Amiko fell to the ground but quickly sprang back up and proceeded to knock Christie's legs out. When Christie was down, she jumped in the air and brought her weight, elbows, and knees down on her stomach. Christie tried to get up, but then lay back down.  
  
"The winner of the round; Amiko Yutari!"  
  
Amiko did not allow herself to be relieved. "I still have a round left. I doubt I'll win."  
  
"Now for the next round!"  
  
Christie stood wobbly to her feet. "You're pretty good, kid," she admitted. "And you're probably good enough to beat me, but I doubt you're good enough to win."  
  
"You and me both," Amiko thought nervously.  
  
The bell rang. Christie rushed at Amiko and punched her powerfully in the stomach. Amiko doubled over in pain. The crowd cringed. Amiko blinked and hesitated, but to her great relief Christie didn't rush into the opening in time. Quickly regaining herself, Amiko rushed at Christie with a renewed vigor. With a speed she didn't think she was capable of, she released a 10-hit combo and before she knew it Christie was unmoving on the ground.  
  
"Whoa! Complete K.O.! The winner of the match; Amiko Yutari!"  
  
The crowd burst into cheers. Amiko blinked in surprise. They were cheering for the winner. they were cheering for her! The thought completely stunned her. Soon the adrenaline rushed back into her body and the excitement of the reality hit her. She had won! She had really won! She was too excited to speak.  
  
"Miharu's got to hear about this."  
  
***  
  
"Julia! Julia, wait up!"  
  
Julia spun around to face Amiko who was running towards her.  
  
"Amiko!"  
  
Amiko ran up to Julia and leaned over panting.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
Amiko straightened. "Nothing! I just wanted to know how you did!"  
  
Julia laughed. "You ran all the way from the arena to ask how I did?"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
"Okay! I did really well! I took down the guy, but it was harder than I thought it would be. I remember the last tournament, and the first guy I fought wasn't as hard."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"How did you do?"  
  
Amiko beamed. "I won!"  
  
"Of course you won! I knew you would!"  
  
Amiko blushed. "I'm not really all that good."  
  
"Who did you beat?"  
  
"Some Latin girl. Her name was Christie something-or-other."  
  
"Christie Monteiro?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
"If you beat Christie Monteiro, then you are really good! She's no easy opponent!"  
  
Amiko blushed again. "I'm not really that good," she repeated. "I just got lucky, that's all."  
  
Julia rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Amiko. Hey, if Miharu wins tomorrow, well, even if she doesn't, why don't you ask her if she wants to go to dinner to celebrate! I'll round up a couple of the other guys. How does that sound?"  
  
"That sounds great! I'll ask her!"  
  
"Good! Well, I've got stuff to do. Tell George to leave without me. I have a ride."  
  
"Okay. Later, Julia!"  
  
"Bye!"  
  
Amiko shuffled along, kicking the rocks in her path. "All I ever wanted was to be good at something," she thought. "To not be ridiculed, yelled at, or degraded. Now that I am, I don't know what to do! How do I react to people's praise? Being praised feels good, but if I let it take over, will it destroy me? Will I become arrogant and snobbish like other people?" She shook her head slowly. "I don't know. I don't know what to do or how to do it. I guess I'll just have to deal with things as they come." Nearing the car, she smiled and prepared herself for the excited welcome she was about to receive.  
  
***  
  
"Isn't this great?" Miharu leaned over and whispered in Amiko's ear. "We make new friends, win our first match, and eat free food!"  
  
Amiko laughed. "You're not getting excited, now are you?"  
  
Miharu blushed and locked her gaze on the table in front of her. "Okay, I'll admit it. You were right, Amiko, this is the most fun I've ever had. It's been so much fun I almost forgot about Xiao."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, but I said almost. I mean, she's the whole reason we're here, right? I can't entirely forget." A shadow of anxiousness passed over her face. "How much longer do we have to stay here? I'm having fun, but we still have a mission. We have to help Xiao."  
  
Amiko scrunched up her tiny nose in thought. "Well, we both got $50 for our matches, right?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"And I think plane tickets from here to Germany are about $75 a person. Then we have the problem of getting back to Japan. We also have to consider food. I'd say we'd need a lump sum of $600 dollars, at the least."  
  
"That's a lot."  
  
"Yeah, we brought all the money we had from Japan, so that adds to about $75 for each of us, plus the $50 is $125. So now all we need is $175 more dollars each. That's about three or four more matches."  
  
"That's a lot of money and a long time to be here, Amiko."  
  
"I know. But you have to listen to what you said. It's a lot of money. Where else are we going to get it?"  
  
Miharu sighed with an almost hopeless air. "Nowhere. This is the only place we can get that kind of money."  
  
"Exactly. Now why don't you try and enjoy dinner? Relax, breathe in, and breathe out. Everything is going to be fine. Xiao's smart, she wouldn't get herself into more trouble than she can get herself out of. Rest assured; she'll be alright until we can get there."  
  
"You're right. I just need to hope for the best, right?"  
  
"Right! Now eat some dinner. You need to get some meat on you, stick."  
  
Miharu snorted. "Look who's talking."  
  
Amiko, the much more slender one, laughed and they both went back to chatting and eating.  
  
***  
  
Amiko mentally prepared herself for her next match. This time all of her friends were watching her. Miharu, Julia, Steve, and Hwoarang were all there. She rolled her eyes as she thought of the other person that was also there. Heero. Why did he have to keep on showing up? She just wanted him to fall off the face of the earth. She watched with anticipation as a guy who had a jaguar mask on K.O. a Indian looking Japanese policeman guy.  
  
"And the winner of the match; King!"  
  
Amiko raised an eyebrow in amusement. "King? The best name he could come up with for himself was King? How pathetic."  
  
"That was a great match, am I right folks?"  
  
The crowd hooted and cheered in agreement.  
  
"Do ya wanna see more?"  
  
The cheering intensified.  
  
"Than more you shall have! I will announce the next match now."  
  
Silence reigned supreme.  
  
"For the next match, please welcome the amazing young girl who took us all by surprise when she beat Christie Monteiro, Amiko Yutari!"  
  
The crowd cheered once more and this time Amiko was delighted to know it was genuine. She was now a crowd favorite!  
  
"And the mysterious, the amazing, the girl from Germany who wouldn't give us her whole name."  
  
Chuckles floated through the spectators.  
  
".the tall, lean powerhouse, G!"  
  
Amiko entered the ring even more amused. "Man, and I thought King was pathetic."  
  
G stepped into the ring. She was quite intimidating, Amiko thought. She had her dirty-blonde hair cut in a boyish anime style cut. She was wearing a camouflage tank with short khaki shorts. G smirked at Amiko who grimaced in response.  
  
"I must look like a cute little girl in these clothes compared to her."  
  
Amiko was wearing her black skort and a fuzzy lime green sweater. "Why did I have to choose cutesy clothes today?"  
  
"Let's get it on!" the announcer boomed.  
  
The bell rang. G and Amiko faced each other; neither one moving. Amiko finally rushed in and did the handstand attack she had done to Ruit. None of her friends had seen her do this one before. G fell back against the arena's bars. She quickly recuperated and planted her fist in Amiko's amazingly hard stomach. Amiko tried to hold her ground but toppled to the floor. G jumped and tried to jab her elbow into Amiko this time, but she rolled out of the way just in time and instead G ended up hitting her elbow hard against the floor. The sound of cracking bone shattered the blanket of silence enveloping the crowd. Grimaces and cringing spread throughout the audience. G stood up, muttered to herself, checked her elbow quickly, then lunged at Amiko again. Amiko stepped aside and tripped her legs out from under her; but not without first having her face slammed by G's arm. G caught herself with her good arm, steadied herself, then sank to the floor. The crowd was deafening.  
  
"And the winner of the round; Amiko Yutari!"  
  
Amiko grinned. Even though G was her "enemy", she went over and helped her up.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
G managed a smile through her pain. "As much as a girl with a broken elbow can be, I guess."  
  
Amiko smiled back. "Do you think you can do another round? I'm sure the announcer or Mr. Chaolan can postpone our match. Or you could forfeit."  
  
G grinned slyly. "Honey, let me tell you something: I never forfeit. Broken elbow or no broken elbow, I never give up."  
  
Amiko shrugged and hoisted her up. "Okay, if you're sure."  
  
"And she's up! Now for the next round!"  
  
The bell rang and G didn't waste any time. She immediately jumped clear over Amiko's head and spin kicked her swiftly and powerfully. Amiko fell forward completely stunned, and barely had time to put her arms out to break her fall. She rolled over and pushed herself into G with all her strength. G faltered and staggered. Amiko rushed in and with a few swift kicks and punches, some of which were blocked and countered, she quickly had G on the ground again. She thought she had won but G recovered and in turn knocked her to the ground with a powerful kick-punch combo. Amiko tried to hoist herself to her knees, but gave up and laid on the ground.  
  
"Whoa! And the winner of the match: G!"  
  
G walked over and stuck out her hand for Amiko. "Now, I believe it's my turn to ask you, are you alright?"  
  
Amiko groaned. "You're a tougher opponent with a broken elbow than without."  
  
G laughed and pulled her up. "You ain't seen nothin' yet."  
  
"I sure hope I have."  
  
G laughed again, this time more heartily.  
  
"And now Amiko's up and ready to rock! Now for the next round!"  
  
The bell rang a final time. Amiko knew she couldn't lose this round so she didn't lose any time. She rushed at G, and, to her and her friend's great surprise, unleashed a powerful 10-hit combo that displayed all of her acrobatics, power, and mind-blowing skill. G hung limp against the bars. The crowd was speechless.  
  
The announcer cleared his throat and snapped out of his awe. "And the winner of the round; Amiko Yutari!"  
  
The crowd came to and cheered louder than Amiko had ever heard them cheer before. She covered her ears and ran as she exited the arena. In the outside room the din was barely heard. Amiko leaned against the wall and sighed with relief.  
  
"Great win there."  
  
She whirled around to face a man hiding in the shadows.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"No one important."  
  
"If you're no one important, then why do you hide?"  
  
He stepped forward, a smile playing on his lips. "There. Are you satisfied?"  
  
Amiko slowly nodded. The man wore a long, brown, hooded robe. The air around him was one of mystery and danger. "What do you want?"  
  
"I want to congratulate you. And warn you."  
  
"Warn me?"  
  
"Yes, warn you. There's more here than meets the eye. Ulterior motives, evil ones, are what is driving this tournament. Be careful where you tread."  
  
"What do you mean? Wakari-masen!*"  
  
"Shinpai shinaide.** You will in time. But that's all I can tell you now. Be careful." The man stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.  
  
Amiko stared after the mysterious man. "Why is my life full of mysterious men?" A loud clamor came from around the corner and Amiko's friends came into view.  
  
"Amiko!" Miharu and Julia yelled in unison. "That was great!"  
  
Amiko grinned and acted elated for them. "It wasn't easy, that's for sure."  
  
"It didn't look easy. Especially for that G person." Miharu grimaced. "That was pretty harsh what happened to her."  
  
"Yeah," Hwoarang agreed. "A broken elbow in no fun; no fun at all."  
  
"I bet not, but I would have had broken ribs if I had let her land on me."  
  
"Yeah, those are no fun either."  
  
Amiko laughed.  
  
"Well," Steve broke in with his wonderful British accent. "Who's up for lunch?"  
  
"I am!"  
  
"I'm starving!"  
  
"You know me! I never turn down food!"  
  
Julia turned to Hwoarang in fake disgust. "That's an understatement, pig boy."  
  
Hwoarang acted offended. "I'm not a pig!"  
  
"Yes you are. You're also in denial."  
  
"I am not!"  
  
Amiko and Miharu giggled. "You guys can stop now," Amiko broke in. "I'm ready for lunch too. How 'bout you guys go to the car and I'll be right there. I still have to pick up my stuff."  
  
"Are you sure you don't want one of us to stay here with you?" Miharu asked.  
  
Amiko turned to her with a get-real look on her face. "No, mother, I'm a big girl and can stay by myself for a while."  
  
Miharu blushed. "Okay. We'll see you in a minute."  
  
After they had left, Amiko turned down the hall to the locker room and almost bumped into someone. "Oh! Gomennasai!***"  
  
"Ii-desu-yo.****"  
  
Amiko looked up to see who she had so rudely bumped into. It was Heero. "Oh, it's you. I take back my apology." She pushed past him but he grabbed her arm. "Let go of me, you baka (I'm sure everyone knows what that means, am I right?)!"  
  
"Calm down! I just want to talk!"  
  
"Then let go of my arm!"  
  
"You promise you won't run off?"  
  
Amiko sighed, exasperated. "Fine! Just let me go!"  
  
Heero released her arm and proceeded to scratch nervously behind his head. Amiko stared at him.  
  
"I just wanted to say."  
  
"You can talk after you've answered my questions," Amiko interrupted.  
  
He stopped scratching. "Okay."  
  
"One, why do you want to talk to me and two, why are you nervous?"  
  
Heero looked shocked. "Well," he started. "For the first question, I wanted to talk to you and tell you I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off as such an irritable idiot; I just didn't know how to act. Maybe we just got off on the wrong foot. I also wanted to congratulate you on your win."  
  
Amiko relaxed and leaned against the wall. "And what about number two?"  
  
He tensed visibly. "Well, that's the part I didn't really want to talk about."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because. it's new and it's embarrassing."  
  
Amiko smirked. "Embarrassing? How so?"  
  
"Well, Amiko, the reason I'm nervous is the same reason I came off as such an irritable idiot."  
  
"And that is?"  
  
"It's because from the moment I saw you on the plane, I realized that I really, really liked you."  
  
Amiko was shocked. "You like me? How? Why?"  
  
"I really don't know. I mean, you're not exactly the type of girl I'd normally like, but it's true; I like you."  
  
Amiko was speechless. "I-I don't know what to say."  
  
"Then maybe I can give you something to say. I need you to answer one of my questions."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I noticed that you were really irritable and annoyed with me on the plane, yet Hwoarang poked fun at you and was ten times more annoying than I was, in my opinion, of course, why didn't you get as mad at him?"  
  
"I." Amiko trailed off as she realized she didn't have an answer. "I don't know. Why didn't I?"  
  
"Well, now I've given you something to think about. I hope that you do." Heero leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheek, then walked off down the hall. Amiko was doubly shocked. She touched her cheek lightly as a slightly disturbing thought entered her mind. "Do I like him too?" She shook off the thought and went to get her stuff.  
  
***  
  
Amiko gathered her stuff together. Her thoughts consumed her so much she didn't hear the footsteps sounding behind her. Suddenly a rough hand clasped over her mouth and a strong arm pinned her arms to her side. She panicked and tried to bite, but the hand was too tight. She kicked her legs behind her and at last one of her feet connected with a solid object. The man grunted, but didn't loosen his grip. Another man entered the room. Thick rope soon bound her flailing legs and her pinned arms. Thick cloth was used for a blindfold and a gag. A broad thumb was pressed to the back of her neck. She fought to stay conscious, but soon the blackness took over.  
  
Iris: Yay! A cliffhanger! I like cliffhangers! Actually, I only like giving cliffhangers to people, not reading a cliffhanger. That's a bummer! Well, I hope that I can keep you guys reading!  
  
Lyma-chan: *note to readers* Reviews make her happy, so, for my sake, please review!  
  
Iris: My parakeet makes me happy too. I've only had him for a day and he already climbs on my finger! Let me note that he is wild, not tamed.  
  
Lyma-chan: Whoop-di-doo for you.  
  
Iris: ^__^ Thank you. Now the meanings to the Japanese phrases!  
  
* I don't understand  
  
** That's alright  
  
*** I'm sorry  
  
**** That's okay 


	4. Chapter IV

Iris: *growl* Nobody but Jaid reviewed my third chapter! And she did because she's my friend and I pestered her!  
  
Jaid: That's an understatement.  
  
Iris: -__- You wouldn't have a character if I didn't pester you.  
  
Jaid: True.  
  
Iris: *grin* *checks e-mail* Oh, wait! No! xiao neni reviewed also! YAY!!! Thanks xiao!  
  
Disclaimer: WHY DO I HAVE TO TYPE THESE STUPID THINGS!!! Well, I guess it's better than being sued. Though there really isn't a very high possibility of that.  
  
Namco: Write it now. We've got a good lawyer.  
  
Disclaimer: I'm sure you do. *sigh* Oh well. I do not own Tekken. Do you think I'd be writing these lame stories if I did?  
  
Amiko groaned and tried to sit up. "Where am I?" she managed to murmur. As her eyes focused she saw a tall woman with a serious expression on her face standing over her. She tried to scream but no sound emitted from her dry throat.  
  
"She's awake," the woman called to the outer room.  
  
"Good." A man strode into the room. Amiko's eyes widened in recognition.  
  
"Jin!"  
  
Jin grinned; a thing he only did if he was extremely happy or relieved. "Hey, I was starting to think you weren't going to wake up."  
  
Memory suddenly came to Amiko. She cocked her head. "You kidnapped me?"  
  
Jin's grin widened, surprising Amiko. "Of course not. Do you really think I'd do that?"  
  
"No, not really. I'm just so confused."  
  
"Understood. I wouldn't expect you to know what's going on. I'm not sure I know everything, either."  
  
"Is she awake?" A familiar feminine voice sounded outside the room. Amiko's eyes widened even more when she came into view.  
  
"Xiao! I thought you were in Germany!"  
  
Xiao grinned from ear to ear. "I was! But I couldn't miss the tournament, now could I?"  
  
Amiko groaned and fell back on the pillows. "The tournament! I forgot about that."  
  
"I'm just glad you two were smart enough to decipher my message." Xiao looked much different. Instead of two short pigtails, she had shiny black waist-length hair and bangs that perfectly framed her face. No more did she look like a little immature girl, she finally looked like a woman.  
  
"It was no easy thing; let me tell you that for nothing. It was the most difficult puzzle I've solved in my life. How'd you come up with it?"  
  
Xiao blushed a little. "I didn't. My bodyguar... I mean, my friend came up with it."  
  
Amiko raised an eyebrow in question but quickly let it go.  
  
"Did someone mention me?" A tall blonde woman walked into the room drying her short, wet hair and smiled at Amiko. She had a cast on her elbow. "Seems like you took a better beating than I did, eh?"  
  
Amiko couldn't believe it. "G? What are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm Xiao's bodyguard."  
  
Xiao gasped. "Greta!"  
  
Greta flinched. "Do not call me that! You know I hate that name! And besides, why can't she know? She should already be suspicious, anyway."  
  
Amiko was starting to get extremely amused. "So, Jin, do you have a bodyguard too?"  
  
A shadow of embarrassment passed over Jin's face. "Unfortunately, yes. You should probably meet him before he catches you off guard. Hans!"  
  
A medium-height man with blonde hair and blue tips peeked into the room with an annoyed look on his handsome face. "My name is Chris, not Hans! Get it right!"  
  
Greta rolled her eyes. "Hans, get in here."  
  
Hans reluctantly sulked into the room. He brightened up when he saw Amiko. "Hey! You decided to wake up!"  
  
Amiko scowled. "I didn't decide to wake up, I just did."  
  
"Whatever. Greta, can I leave now? I was right in the middle of a game and I was going to win but then Mr. Macho here called me and spoiled it all!" He frowned at Jin. "Why does he even need a bodyguard anyway? He's strong enough to take care of himself and us!"  
  
Greta punched Hans in the stomach. Amiko flinched, knowing how much a punch from her hurt. Hans doubled back, a look of shock on his face.  
  
"Oh please," Greta said, shaking her head. "Don't even act like you were surprised by that. You should be used to it by now. Do you want the lecture again?"  
  
Hans whimpered. "No! No, please!"  
  
"If you don't want it then get back out there and be quiet!"  
  
Hans scuttled out of the room, reminding Amiko of a little puppy with its tail between its legs. She smiled. Greta smiled back.  
  
"He's my brother, as I'm almost sure you could have guessed."  
  
Amiko nodded, not at all shocked or surprised.  
  
"Well, ladies," Jin broke in. "I'm sure Amiko could use her rest, now."  
  
Xiao frowned at him and Greta shrugged as he ushered them out of the room. It was then that Amiko noticed the tall woman who was standing over her was leaning against the far wall, staring at her. She frowned slightly, and then left. Amiko wondered about her strange behavior, but soon shrugged it off and fell asleep.  
  
***  
  
When Amiko woke again, it was midnight. She didn't feel like sleeping, so she slowly stood up and waddled out to the other room. She heard snoring from one room and guessed that Hans was in there. All the girls were fast asleep in another. Jin was staring intently at a computer screen and typing wildly. He minimized the screen and turned around when she walked up.  
  
"Oh, you're up."  
  
Amiko nodded softly and yawned. "Yeah, and I'm really hungry. Where's the kitchen?"  
  
Jin jerked his head towards the hall to the right. "Down there. Help yourself to anything." A slight grin once again lit up his normally serious face. "I know Hans doesn't want to give up his chocolate mousse pie, but if you want to, please eat it."  
  
Amiko giggled. "That sounds really good. I think I will. Besides, he seems fun to annoy."  
  
Jin snorted. "He thinks it's fun to annoy."  
  
"I bet."  
  
Amiko walked into the kitchen and flipped on the light switch. She glanced inside the refrigerator and decided against eating real food, and instead just grabbed the chocolate pie. She went back to the computer and pulled up a chair. She figured that it would be a good time to ask the questions that had suddenly started tormenting her.  
  
"Jin," she started shakily. "Who kidnapped me?"  
  
He squinted his eyes in concentration. "I'm not sure. can't say I've seen them before. There were two men, one a little short and stocky, looked about 50 or somewhere around there, and then a younger guy, about 25, tall and muscular. Had a scar above his right eye. The looked sort of familiar."  
  
Amiko snapped alert. "What did you say?"  
  
Jin glanced at her, slightly confused. "I said they looked sort of familiar."  
  
"No, no, before that; about the scar?"  
  
"Oh, the younger guy had a scar above his right eye."  
  
Amiko jumped up. "Where are they now?"  
  
Jin glanced at her again, this time completely bewildered. "We have them locked up in the back room, why?"  
  
"I need to see them," she blurted. "I need to see them now."  
  
"Alright, if you're sure."  
  
"I'm positive. I have to see them."  
  
He sighed and stood up. "Alright, then, follow me." He led her down a hall slightly hidden by thick house plants. Suddenly, a door to their left flung open and the strange woman came out wearing a very exasperated expression.  
  
"I couldn't get anything out of them," she stated.  
  
Jin sighed. "I doubted you would, Anhai. Don't worry, we'll eventually get something. If they're part of this whole scheme, we'll soon find them out."  
  
Anhai's face convulsed. "Still. it would be nice to get something."  
  
Jin and Anhai conversed for a short amount of time. Amiko took the chance to study the woman. Anhai had short, straight black hair; most of it down, and the part framing her face were in tiny braids. She was tall and slender, but Amiko could tell she was muscular under her long-sleeved black shirt. Her almond-shaped turquoise eyes were flecked with gold and always alert. Golden brown skin indicated an Egyptian heritage. Anhai's gaze shifted to Amiko.  
  
"What's she doing here?"  
  
"She thinks she knows who the kidnappers are."  
  
Anhai looked incredulous. "She hasn't even seen them, Jin."  
  
"That's why I'm taking her in there."  
  
"Whatever," she muttered. "Just let me know if you get anything." With that she stalked off.  
  
With a click the door opened and Jin walked in. Amiko followed. A two- way mirror revealed two men tied up sitting on the floor. Amiko gasped and her eyes widened. "Oh my."  
  
Jin turned to her. "You know them?"  
  
Amiko nodded, the color draining out of her face by the second. "They're my."  
  
Jin grasped her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Who are they?"  
  
"My father and brother." The room swirled around her and Jin hurried to catch her before she hit the ground.  
  
***  
  
Miharu sat on the couch in her room and nervously twiddled her thumbs. Heero was pacing back and forth in front of her and Julia was hacking into computer files to get any information she could on Amiko's whereabouts.  
  
"Nothing," she murmured. "Nothing at all."  
  
Heero dashed over to the computer. "There's got to be something somewhere!"  
  
Julia solemnly shook her head and sent her braid swishing every which way. "I've been looking for hours, Heero. I know how much yo- we want to find Amiko, but there's no way I can do it on the computer. There are no files that have anything to do with her or anyone associated with her. Except for the fact that she lived in Japan with her father and brother and worked at a burger joint; that's all." She swung the swivel chair around to face Miharu. "We're going to have to try something different."  
  
Miharu sighed and threw up her hands in despair. "What else is there to do? We've tried almost everything."  
  
Julia displaced her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "We could call the police; that's the only suggestion I have."  
  
Miharu shook her head. "We tried. They said they couldn't do anything unless we had proof that Amiko was kidnapped; a ransom note or something. Since we don't have anything they just blew us off as a couple of kids pulling a prank."  
  
"We'll just have to look for her, then," Heero stated, resolute.  
  
Miharu and Julia stared at him. "What?! Look for her? We don't know where to start or what to do!"  
  
Hwoarang swung open the door and strode into the room. "Man," he said, yawning and stretching. "I'm hungry."  
  
Three angry pairs of eyes were turned on him.  
  
"What? Was it something I said?"  
  
They sighed, exasperated. Julia once again perched her glasses on her nose. "I think Heero's right, the only thing we can do is look for her. That or just sit here worrying ourselves to death."  
  
A tear wound its way down Miharu's cheek. "It must be me or something. First Xiao disappears and then Amiko." She placed her face in her hands and her shoulders shook with sobs. Julia put her arm around her to comfort her. Hwoarang sat down on the floor and leaned his head against the wall. An air of hopelessness settled on the miserable foursome. Suddenly, a sound was heard outside and Hwoarang rushed to the window. He looked down towards the street and just stood gaping.  
  
"You guys are not going to believe this."  
  
Julia frowned and looked out the window also. Her eyes grew wide. "If I didn't see it I wouldn't believe it."  
  
"What is it?" Miharu tried to see over her tall friends' shoulders. "I can't see!"  
  
"Why do you think he's here?" Julia asked, still frowning. "Do you think he wants to talk to us?"  
  
Hwoarang shrugged. "I dunno. Why else would he be here?"  
  
"WHO IS IT?!" Miharu screamed, trying her hardest to get their attention.  
  
Julia turned to her. "It's Lee Chaolan."  
  
Miharu lifted an eyebrow. "Chaolan? What is he doing here?"  
  
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Hwoarang stated impatiently.  
  
Julia elbowed him in the side. "Cool it."  
  
Hope rose inside Miharu. "Maybe he has information on Amiko!"  
  
Julia shrugged. "Maybe," she said absently, not sounding hopeful at all.  
  
Hwoarang stepped away from the window. "He entered the building. I'll go out and see if he's coming up here."  
  
Julia smiled mischievously. "Curious, now are we?"  
  
Hwoarang grinned sheepishly. "No."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, just go out and see."  
  
Miharu was shaking with anticipation. "I hope he knows something about Amiko," she thought. "It is possible he knows something, right?" she asked no one in particular.  
  
"Sou omoi-masen*," Heero muttered, slumped sullenly in a corner.  
  
"Sou omoi-masu**," Julia countered, glaring at Heero. She turned to Miharu. "It's very possible, Mi, very possible."  
  
The door clicked open and Hwoarang walked through with both his eyebrows raised and was making a strange face. Julia chuckled, but stopped when she saw Lee coming in behind him. Lee smiled dazzlingly. Although 50, he looked like he was in his late thirties or early forties. He wore his usual attire of silver pants and a purple vest.  
  
"Hello, fighters," he said. Miharu detected a little anxiousness in his voice. Everyone stared intently at him without saying a word. He nervously scratched the back of his head. "Okay," he said finally. "I'm going to cut to the chase. I heard that someone disappeared yesterday after a match. Amiko Yutari, is it?"  
  
"You know something about Amiko?!" Miharu asked excitedly.  
  
"You see, that's just the thing. I was hoping you guys could help me figure out a little mystery. It seems that people from my facility keep disappearing every day; one person once a day. Yesterday someone didn't disappear from my Zaibatsu, but Amiko did."  
  
Heero leaned forward and gazed at Lee intently. "Who do you think is behind this?"  
  
Lee tensed visibly but kept silent.  
  
"Tell me who you think it is!" Heero shouted, looking ready to pounce on Lee if he took any longer to speak.  
  
Rage filled Lee's voice and countenance. "It's that half-wit "brother" of mine, Kazuya Mishima. I think he's actually allied with Heihachi to get the Mishima Zaibatsu back."  
  
Everyone in the room tensed and gasped at the hated names. Would the infamous father and son actually unite for a common cause? It seemed too bizarre to be true. They had always hated each other, why would they work together now? Unless something was in it for the both of them. Something bigger than the little band of tournament fighters could comprehend.  
  
"Th-that can't be right!" Julia stuttered. "There has to be some mistake! They'd never work together! And suppose they did; what motive would they have to kidnap Amiko?"  
  
Lee shrugged. "I'm not sure. They have never been predictable; that's why I haven't found them yet. I don't have any proof that they're the ones who are doing it, but I can sense it somehow. I know it's them. Who else would be evil and cunning enough to do any of this?"  
  
Hwoarang counted off his fingers. "Heihachi, Kazuya, Kazama, Julia."  
  
A sharp elbow once again planted itself in Hwoarang's side. "Shut up!" Julia hissed. "This is no time for joking and sarcasm!"  
  
Hwoarang looked hurt. "Sorry, I was just trying to lighten up the mood. It's too darn tense in here."  
  
Everyone nodded and forgave him. Heero sat on the edge of his seat.  
  
"What do you think is driving them?"  
  
Lee sat back and relaxed a little. "You should prepare yourself to sit here for a while; this is going to take a lot of explaining."  
  
***  
  
Amiko woke groggily to Xiao applying ice to her forehead. Xiao smiled a relieved yet tired smile when she saw that she was awake.  
  
"Hey, are you feeling alright?"  
  
Amiko sat up and rubbed the back of her head. "I think so." She glanced around the room, trying to gather her awareness. "What happened?"  
  
Xiao frowned. "You fainted. Jin caught you, but you still hit your head on the wall. There's a lump there, so you'll want to be careful."  
  
Amiko winced. "Great, just great." Finally waking up fully and gathering all her wits, she turned to Xiao warily. "Xiao," she said, deathly serious. "I think it's time for you to tell me everything. What is going on?"  
  
Xiao hesitated, nervous, then sighed. "Alright; I think it's time you know everything about me, Jin, and our situation." She stood up. "Let me go find Jin and we'll start explaining."  
  
***  
  
"You all know that I'm Kazuya's foster brother, don't you?"  
  
Everyone stared at the silver-haired man, completely shocked.  
  
"Okay. I guess you didn't know that. Well, I am Kazuya's foster brother, and Heihachi's foster son. That makes it all the worse that I won the Mishima Zaibatsu."  
  
"It would also make Heihachi fight harder to get the Zaibatsu back,' Julia said, suddenly understanding. "He wasn't expecting to lose it in the first place, especially not to his foster son."  
  
Lee nodded. "Exactly. That's why I'm sure he's behind all of this."  
  
"But where does Kazuya fit in to all this?" Heero asked, never losing his serious demeanor. "Why do you think he's helping Heihachi?"  
  
"Because I saw him here."  
  
Everyone was dumbfounded. Kazuya Mishima was at the tournament? Why hadn't they seen him?  
  
"So unless he's here trying to get the Zaibatsu for himself, which I doubt," Lee continued. "My guess would be that he's working with Heihachi."  
  
Hwoarang shook his head. "It still doesn't make sense. I may not seem like I pay attention to much, but I know Kazama's strange family and I know that Heihachi and Kazuya would never pair up for anything; even if it had "profit" written all over it in capital letters."  
  
Lee shrugged gracefully. "I don't know why. None of this makes sense to me either, but it's reality. I don't have proof that they're working together, but I just know."  
  
Julia stared at him intently. "What would be possible motives?"  
  
A shadow passed over Lee's handsome face. "The Devil Gene."  
  
***  
  
Amiko leaned against the headboard on her bed. Xiaoyu and Jin sat before her, both looking a little nervous; maybe even guilty. Xiao glanced at Jin, silently asking him to start. He sighed.  
  
"Amiko, I didn't want you to get caught up in all of this," he started hesitantly. "It's far too dangerous, but I guess that now I can't stop it." He scratched his head. "I don't know exactly where to start."  
  
"Tell me why you were in Germany and why you have bodyguards."  
  
"I can answer that," Xiao stated, looking at Jin for support. "You see, I accidentally got caught up in a conspiracy also; the Mishima conspiracy. You know, the whole thing surrounding the last tournament."  
  
Amiko shook her head, not understanding at all what Xiao was trying to say.  
  
"Do you know anything about Heihachi or Kazuya?"  
  
Amiko shook her head again.  
  
Xiao let out a deep breath. "Okay.Well, I guess that's a story we can save for another time. It's too long to tell right now. One thing you do need to know is that Heihachi has been trying to track down and kidnap either Jin or Kazuya. He failed to catch them during the last tournament, which he only started to catch Kazuya, and Lee Chaolan won. That made Heihachi really mad, with Lee being his foster son and all."  
  
Amiko was shocked. "Lee Chaolan is Heihachi's foster son?"  
  
"Yes. Not many people know that; I don't think Lee wanted it very publicized."  
  
"Who would?" Amiko snorted. A ghost of a smile passed over Jin's face. Xiao grinned.  
  
"Personally, I wouldn't, and I don't blame Lee at all. He didn't expect to win the tournament and nobody else expected him to either. Heihachi was taken completely by surprise, but once it registered in his mind, he was furious. He tracked down Jin and Kazuya again, this time with a rage that drove him to crazy extremes. Now, let's back-track a little. While I was participating in the fourth tournament, I discovered some things about Heihachi and the Mishima Zaibatsu that would be detrimental to Heihachi's whole career and future. I was naïve and accidentally let on that I knew something, and Heihachi tried to have me assassinated. Once again, Jin saved my life and helped me escape the country." She smiled her thanks at Jin. "We went to Germany. Jin had an old friend who worked in the military there."  
  
"Greta?" Amiko asked. Xiao nodded.  
  
"Yes, Greta. We were hiding there for a year and a half. One day Greta came to the little house we lived in and told us that she had seen Heihachi. She said he had asked her if she had seen us, which she denied, of course, and afterwards she knew it wasn't safe to stay in Germany anymore. I had sent Miharu the note a week before this, so when Greta said we needed to flee the country, I immediately regretted sending you two on a wild goose chase. I hoped that you guys would figure something out. Greta said we needed bodyguards, so she and her brother volunteered."  
  
Amiko nodded in understanding. "How did Greta get away from the army to come here?"  
  
"She is a high-ranking German general. She's never taken a day off, so she has two years or so in vacation time. She just asked for time off and the government said yes."  
  
"And Hans?"  
  
"He's in one of the groups she commands. She just grabbed him when she left and nobody said anything."  
  
"And what about that Egyptian-looking girl?"  
  
"Anhai Atasuki." Xiao frowned slightly. "I don't know very much about her. She says she's from G-Corporation. She seemed like she's be a great help, and Jin said we should keep her around."  
  
"Something about her was extremely familiar," Jin broke in. "I don't know what it is, but I knew that she could help us. It may be dangerous to keep her around, we don't know anything about her, but I ran a background check, and she is working for G-Corporation, so I knew she was telling the truth about something. She seems completely trustworthy to me."  
  
Amiko lifted an eyebrow. "Jin, you don't trust people, remember?"  
  
He frowned. "I didn't use to. But for some reason, now I do. I trust her, I trust Xiao, I trust Greta, and I trust you."  
  
Amiko chuckled despite the growing intensity of the conversation. "Jeez, Jin, why is it that you only trust girls?"  
  
Jin scowled. "Because they seem to be less devious than men."  
  
She smirked. "I wouldn't be too sure about that." Xiao chuckled with her while Jin glared meaninglessly.  
  
"Now, seriously," Amiko started again, regaining her solemn countenance. "Why is it so important that Heihachi finds you? Why would he go to such extremes as to travel all the way to Germany to find you?"  
  
"Oh, that doesn't even compare at all to the extreme he's gone to now," Jin growled.  
  
"What has he done?"  
  
"He joined forces with my father, Kazuya. The one thing I thought they'd never do is work together, but they are. Heihachi must be desperate."  
  
Amiko didn't know much about Jin's family, but he did know that they all hated each other. She was shocked. "B-but how?" she stuttered. "How do you know?"  
  
"I've seen them. My father," he said the words with all the bitterness that had built up over his difficult years. "Is at the tournament. Heihachi is staying in the slums; hiding."  
  
Sudden realization flooded over Amiko and she gasped. "The hooded man! It was Kazuya!"  
  
"Probably," Jin growled. "He wouldn't want to be recognized."  
  
"Jin, this all makes sense, but it doesn't tie together. There's something you're not telling me; I know it. Why is Heihachi tracking you down and why would your father and grandfather work together?"  
  
Xiao and Jin exchanged slightly nervous glances. After a long moment of silence, Jin sighed once more. "Amiko, I don't want to do this, but if we can't protect you fully, I guess we can't protect you at all."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"It's time you know everything, and I mean everything. Every gory detail of what we really do," Xiao said quietly, looking at the ground. "It's time you know about the Devil Gene."  
  
***  
  
Everyone looked at Lee in question.  
  
"I'm sure you all are wondering what that is. The Devil Gene is a special cell that the Mishima Zaibatsu invented while Heihachi was in command. Once it enters the human bloodstream, it eats all the human cells and completely transforms the human being into a different species. Another special cell was also invented; Genocell. Genocell keeps the human cells alive, so whoever has the Devil Gene is part human, part 'devil.'" He gestured to Julia. "I'm sure Miss Chang knows and can confirm what I am saying."  
  
Julia nodded slowly. "Since I work for G-Corporation, we know a lot about the gene."  
  
"But why would Heihachi want a stupid gene that makes people freaky?" Hwoarang broke in. Julia and Lee exchanged glances.  
  
"Because it could give them power beyond your wildest dreams," Lee explained slowly. "It could create for them an army that surpasses all others. Just think; superhuman strength, un-explained disappearances, and a forbidding appearance. Since you were part of the Korean army, Hwoarang, answer me a question: would you or any of your army friends want to fight against a whole swarm of those things?"  
  
Hwoarang shuddered. "No thank you. I'd much rather stick to nuclear weapons and machine guns."  
  
Lee smirked. "So I thought."  
  
***  
  
Amiko stared in horror at her friends. They had explained everything down to the last detail about Jin and the gene. She was speechless. Why hadn't Xiao told her anything about this before? Had she known? Had Jin? "How long have you guys known about this?" Amiko asked almost inaudibly.  
  
"My whole life," Jin answered solemnly. "Xiaoyu didn't know until just recently. I try to prevent anyone from knowing anything about it. It's too much knowledge for some people, for some people it's a promise of power. If people don't know how to handle the knowledge, it could destroy them." He shook his head in disgust. "So many have lost their lives trying to steal the gene. So many foolish people. That's why I didn't want you knowing, Amiko. It's also why I didn't want Xiao knowing either. I didn't want any of you to be subject to any of the problems that would come from it. Unfortunately, Xiao did. Heihachi found out she knew about many things, and he tried to kill her."  
  
Xiao's chin quivered. Her eyes filled with tears as the frightening and painful memories flooded over her once more. Jin's stern countenance melted away into one of compassion and sympathy.  
  
"What do we do now?" Amiko asked, finally gathering all her wits.  
  
"That's the one thing I haven't figured out." Jin suddenly stood up. "I think it's time we talked to everyone. We need a plan."  
  
Iris: *sigh* I wanted that to be longer, but it's already eleven pages.  
  
Lyma-chan: Puh-lease! No longer! We'll all suffocate in a flood of words and DIE!  
  
Iris: SUFFOCATE IN THIS! *dumps Lyma-chan in garbage bag* There. much better. Well, readers, don't forget to review!!! Sorry this chap took soooo long to post. I've been soooo darn busy! I should have the next one out sooner! 


	5. Chapter V

Iris: *sigh* No reviews. I've been getting no reviews.  
  
Lyma-chan: And that surprises you why?  
  
Iris: -__- Please, please, please R&R!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Tekken, Tekken is not a thing I own, own Tekken I do not. Namco owns Tekken, Tekken is a thing Namco owns, own Tekken Namco does. Get the picture? =D  
  
Greta, Hans, Anhai, Xiaoyu, Jin, and Amiko all sat in the living room. Anhai leaned against the wall with her arms crossed staring out into space. Greta and Hans slumped on the couch, both looking a little grumpy and sleepy. Xiaoyu and Amiko sat nervously shifting in chairs. Jin stood against the opposite wall from Anhai. Amiko could tell he was thinking hard.  
  
"So," she exhaled deeply. "What are we going to do, Jin?"  
  
"The only thing I can think of to do is find Miharu, Hwoarang, Julia and the others. Then we'll enter the tournament."  
  
Greta shook her head furiously. "No, I can't let you do that," she stated calmly. "It's too dangerous."  
  
"Yeah," Hans echoed. "If you guys go out there you'll be found."  
  
"I don't see that we have any other choice," Jin said, shrugging. "Unless someone can come up with something better, it's what we'll have to do."  
  
Suddenly, a wide grin spread across Anhai's always serious face. "I've got a plan."  
  
***  
  
"What are we going to do?" Julia asked helplessly. "If Heihachi and Kazuya get their way, the world is doomed."  
  
Hwoarang, who had also become very serious much earlier, leaned back and frowned. "There's got to be some way to stop them. I mean, nothing's invincible."  
  
"Nothing's completely invincible, no," Lee went on. "But you have to know where exactly to strike to destroy them; Heihachi and the 'devils.'"  
  
"What's the difference?" Julia groaned. This brought snickers from all in the room; all except Heero. He was concentrating too hard to hear Julia's crack driven by hopelessness.  
  
"Uh, guys?" Miharu spoke in a tiny voice. "Haven't we forgotten something?"  
  
One thing they had forgotten was that Miharu was there. They all jumped, startled by the sudden sound of her voice, and turned to her. "What, Miharu?" Julia asked.  
  
"What about Amiko?"  
  
"We'll have to find her first, of course," Heero spoke up. "Then we'll come up with a plan."  
  
***  
  
"Anhai's been in there for a really long time," Amiko said, annoyed, gesturing towards the bathroom. Xiaoyu nodded in agreement. "What is she doing?"  
  
Greta shrugged. "You never know with her. Strange person, that Anhai." She shook her head.  
  
A moment later, Anhai emerged from the bathroom, her arms full of cosmetics and bottles of an unidentifiable liquid. She smirked. "Okay, now the work begins." She began arranging her bottles on the floor. "Hans, make yourself useful and get me a chair," she commanded, waving her hand towards the kitchen. Hans meekly obeyed.  
  
"Uh, Anhai, I don't mean to interrupt," Amiko asked a little timidly. "But what are you doing?"  
  
Anhai didn't respond but kept lining up her bottles and containers. Finished, she stood up and glanced at them to make sure they were perfect, then looked at all the people in the room and grinned. "So, who's going first?"  
  
Greta looked flustered and annoyed. "Anhai Atasuki, I don't care if you're some big hot-shot hacker, and I don't care if Jin trusts you, but you'll have to tell me what you're doing before you lay a hand on him or Xiaoyu."  
  
Xiaoyu laid her hand on Greta's arm. "It's okay, Greta, I think I know what she's doing." She smiled at Anhai who smirked back cockily. "She's going to completely alter our appearances so no one will recognize us, aren't you Anhai?"  
  
Anhai nodded. "Of course. It's the only way I can think of that they won't recognize you. I even have false I.D. cards for you." She gestured to a small box. "It should work like a charm."  
  
"See Greta? Nothing to worry about."  
  
Greta shot a distrustful glance at Anhai, but sighed and consented. "Okay, whatever."  
  
Xiao grinned at her bodyguard. "I'll go first."  
  
"Let's get to work."  
  
***  
  
"Hold on a minute," Lee protested. "I know that finding Amiko means a lot to all of you, but I have a feeling she's all right. Besides, if we go out and look for her, whoever kidnapped her will probably notice. In the end that could be more dangerous for her. She'll be fine until we can come up with a plan."  
  
Heero shot a wrathful glance Lee's way. "How do you know? For all you know she could be-" Heero's voice broke off and he slammed his fist on the floor. "We're going to find her," he said resolutely.  
  
"Wait," Julia touched Heero's arm lightly. "I think Lee's right. The people behind her kidnapping aren't stupid. We'll have to have a well-developed plan to outsmart them." She turned to Hwoarang. "Is there anything from your military training that can help us? There must be some strategy you can think of."  
  
Hwoarang's eyebrows drew together in thought. "Well, if we were going to look for her, we definitely wouldn't go in a group. Probably not at the same time either. We'd have to spread it out or they'd get suspicious." He thought harder. "We could do it covertly, but that would be difficult. Then again, that could be our best bet."  
  
Miharu lifted an eyebrow. "Come again?"  
  
Hwoarang grinned. "We'll probably have to do it spread out. For example, Heero would go out, probably at night, and look for clues. After a day or two, Julia would go out during the day and ask questions, being careful to avoid suspicious-looking people. Then after a day, I'd go out, etc."  
  
"Oh," Miharu murmured and nodded in understanding.  
  
"Very good Hwoarang," Lee applauded him. "That's exactly what I was thinking. Unfortunately, I won't be able to help you on the street, they'd probably get suspicious if I went out, but I can ask questions to higher businessmen." He glanced nervously out the window. "I should probably be going; if I stay much longer people could start wondering." He stood up and smoothed out a few non-existent wrinkles in his silver pants. "I will see you all at the tournament. Good luck to you all."  
  
***  
  
Amiko blinked and gaped. The Xiaoyu that stood before her was definitely not the Xiaoyu that had stood before her about 30 minutes earlier. Gone were the normal dual pigtails; in their place was straight, shiny black hair that hung just below her shoulder blades. Her bangs had been frayed and framed her face like a black mist. Her eyebrows had been thinned even more. Instead of sparkling brown eyes, deep green emeralds shone from her face. It had always been one of Xiao's policies to never wear makeup, but now foundation, blush, eye shadow, lipstick, and everything was on her face and made her look like a beautiful china doll. Her fingernails had been manicured and had a shining coat of deep crimson polish. Her wardrobe, which had consisted mostly of bright reds and pinks, now was full of deep reds, ocean blues, bright green, and black. She was wearing dark blue jeans, a red tank top, a black leather jacket, and black leather boots. If Amiko hadn't known it was Xiaoyu, she would have never believed it. She looked absolutely gorgeous.  
  
"Xiao," she breathed. "You look amazing!"  
  
Xiao smiled a glossy red-lipped smile. "It's Seiko now." She held up an I.D. card. "Seiko Amagawa."  
  
"A regular student from Japan National College," Anhai finished, emerging from behind Xiao. "Also an amateur singer, violinist, and poet."  
  
Amiko raised an eyebrow. "Singer, violinist, and poet? Xiao, can you do all that?"  
  
Xiao shrugged. "I guess I can now."  
  
Amiko and Xiao giggled while Anhai rolled her eyes. "Go get Jin," she commanded. "I'm going to do him next."  
  
"I'm already here," Jin said unemotionally as he strode into the room. He stopped stock-still when he saw Xiaoyu. Surprise filled his face for a split second, but quickly passed out and was replaced with the normal blank countenance. "You look nice, Xiao."  
  
Xiao turned to Amiko and winked, sending her into another bout of giggling fits.  
  
***  
  
Jin leaned against the wall, a steely expression on his face. Everyone knew that he was not happy with his altered appearance. His spiky black hair had been cut short and hung loose in a kind of bowl-cut. He muttered under his breath that it reminded him of "that fool Hwoarang's" cut, but much shorter. His eyebrows had also been thinned a bit, which lessened his intimidating expression. His eyes had also been changed to green, but a much brighter shade than Xiao's.  
  
"So, Jin," Xiao asked, not seeming to notice his sour mood. "What's your new identity?"  
  
Jin glumly handed Xiao his I.D. card. Her shining eyes glanced over it.  
  
"Eien Amagawa-" she gaped. "You're my brother!" she squealed in excitement. "Well, my fake brother at least."  
  
Amiko smiled knowingly. Xiao glanced nervously at her.  
  
"What?"  
  
Amiko just shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing." Everyone that knew Xiao knew that she liked Jin. That is, everyone but Xiao and Jin themselves.  
  
***  
  
Everyone waited patiently for Anhai and Greta to come out of the "transformation room" For some reason, Anhai ha insisted on changing her identity also, so Greta volunteered to help. They were the last to be worked on.  
  
Amiko actually thought that Hans looked quite attractive after his transformation. His bright blonde had been tinted to a dirty blonde, formed into spikes, and gelled so much the spikes wouldn't come out for a week. His eyes had also been changed to a light brown. His sister and Anhai insisted that he grow a goatee. They thought he's "look really cute" with one.  
  
Amiko hadn't been transformed because they didn't see it necessary. She really wasn't mixed up in all of the intrigue, so she wouldn't be in much danger.  
  
Greta and Anhai both emerged from the room at the same time. They almost looked like twins, only one dark and one light. Anhai's hair had been cut to the same length as Greta's and shaped into the same style. Their bangs had been cut to frame their faces and made them a bit rounder. Their hair had been kept the same color, except for Greta's now had a mix of different blondes. Anhai's had been left untouched. Her eyes were also the same, green, while Greta's were now a deep, dark brown.  
  
Their wardrobe was exactly the same. They both wore wide strapped, tight black dresses that came right above their knees, a long, black, trench-coat like fabric jacket that reached their ankles, black tights and black high-heeled shoes. They held spy-like black sunglasses in their hands.  
  
"So, what do you think?" Greta asked, spinning slowly and putting on the sunglasses.  
  
Everyone was surprised at what Greta looked like. Before she had worn camouflage shirts, khaki shorts and the like, but now she wore a completely different wardrobe. She had always had a slightly sloppy, careless air, but now she was as sleek as could be. Nobody was as completely taken aback as Hans. He went up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.  
  
"Sis, is that really you?!"  
  
"Of course it is," she replied, openly annoyed. "Who else would it be?"  
  
"You look like you got an entire body transplant."  
  
She took off her sunglasses and she rolled her eyes along with Anhai. "No, it's me."  
  
"Wow.."  
  
"So, Anhai, what are we going to do now?" Xiao asked cheerily.  
  
"We're going to find your friends."  
  
***  
  
Heero and Hwoarang quickly scanned the streets trying to decide where to look first.  
  
"Okay, you take that way," Heero commanded, gesturing towards a set of streets towards his left. "And I'll take this way," he gestured the other way. Hwoarang nodded.  
  
"Okay then! Where will we meet up?"  
  
"Right back here in about three hours."  
  
"Right! Three hours! See you then!" Hwoarang headed to his area. He had spiked his hair like he had in his earlier years so he looked a little different. His chestnut eyes glanced every way, searching for his lost friend. "C'mon, Amiko, where are you?" he muttered under his breath.  
  
Something across the street caught his eye and he bumped into a girl, knocking her over. The girl let out a little gasp.  
  
"Oh, hontou-ni moushiwake-arimasen*!" He exclaimed, grabbing her hand and helping her up. "I wasn't looking where I was going."  
  
"Ii-desu-yo," she said carelessly, grinning at him. "It takes two to collide."  
  
He stared at her for a minute. "She looks so familiar," he thought, but he couldn't place it. He thought harder. "Have we met?"  
  
She laughed. "Seriously, Hwoarang-san, I would think you're better than that. Think really hard."  
  
His eyes widened as it hit him. "X-Xiao? Is that you?"  
  
Xiao giggled. "Of course! Who else would look like this?"  
  
Hwoarang gaped. "I wish all girls looked like that. You're gorgeous!"  
  
She blushed. "Thank you."  
  
"Xia- Seiko! Seiko, where are you?" Amiko rounded the corner, obviously looking for Xiao. "Oh, there you are." She blinked when she saw Hwoarang. Then she grinned and gave him a big hug. "Hwoarang! It's so good to see you again!"  
  
"Right back atcha, girlie," he said, hugging her and smiling. "We were all really worried about you. Heero especially."  
  
Amiko pulled away and blushed slightly. "Oh, was he?"  
  
Hwoarang grinned and nudged her shoulder playfully. "Uh-huh, he sure was. More than any of us. If I didn't know better, I'd say you two have a crush on each other."  
  
Her face turned crimson and she smacked Hwoarang in the arm. "Stop it."  
  
Hwoarang winked at Xiao who grinned mischievously back. "Yes ma'am."  
  
"So, where is everybody?" Amiko asked, changing the subject. "I can't wait to see them all."  
  
"Hey, hey, no you don't," Hwoarang caught her as she tried to push past him. "Not until you tell me what happened. You were supposed to be kidnapped!"  
  
She smirked cockily. "No way I'm telling you now. You'll just have to wait until everyone's together and then I'll tell you."  
  
"Seiko? Amiko?" A familiar masculine voice approached them. Hwoarang's countenance turned shocked, then he smirked.  
  
"Well, well, look who decided to show up. Kazama," he nodded, acknowledging Jin. Even in his disguise Hwoarang could still recognize him.  
  
"Hwoarang."  
  
"So, the gang's all here, I guess," Hwoarang said, confusion showing in his voice.  
  
"Yes, and we need to talk."  
  
***  
  
Iris: *twitch* So.. *twitch* short.. *twitch* *sigh* Oh well. Sorry about the shortness, the next chap should be longer. Please review!!! 


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